Google’s Advice To Students: “Keep Learning”

Knowing that Google only hires the best of the best, any ideas they dole out on how to work better should logically contain a wealth of practical knowledge. They have given some very pertinent advice on the Google blog to potential applicants, and to students of all kinds. The main point of the post is: never stop learning, and learn from everything you do. Google says they are looking for “non routine savants”, really smart people who think differently.

Google explains the skills they look for:

How do we find these non-routine savants? There are many factors, of course, but we primarily look for …

… analytical reasoning. Google is a data-driven, analytic company. When an issue arises or a decision needs to be made, we start with data. That means we can talk about what we know, instead of what we think we know.

… communication skills. Marshalling and understanding the available evidence isn’t useful unless you can effectively communicate your conclusions.

… a willingness to experiment. Non-routine problems call for non-routine solutions and there is no formula for success. A well-designed experiment calls for a range of treatments, explicit control groups, and careful post-treatment analysis. Sometimes an experiment kills off a pet theory, so you need a willingness to accept the evidence even if you don’t like it.

… team players. Virtually every project at Google is run by a small team. People need to work well together and perform up to the team’s expectations.

… passion and leadership. This could be professional or in other life experiences: learning languages or saving forests, for example. The main thing, to paraphrase Mr. Drucker, is to be motivated by a sense of importance about what you do.

[via The Official Google Blog]